PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An arrest has been made in connection with the shooting at Nockamixon State Park which left an 18-year-old dead two months ago. And a plea deal has already been discussed.
Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said 52-year-old Kenneth Heller of Warminster is charged with criminal homicide in the fatal shooting of Jason Kutt on Oct. 24. But he said a plea deal has been negotiated with the blessing of Kutt’s parents and that Keller is cooperating.
“It's anticipated that if his cooperation continues, and it will be his choice, we’ll honor our end of the agreement certainly, then he will plead guilty to an open plea to all of the charges which will include involuntary manslaughter as the homicide charge,” he explained.
Weintraub said Heller has expressed remorse.
Kutt was fatally shot while he and his girlfriend watched the sun set at Lake Nockamixon in late October. Heller’s vehicle was one of three in the area at the time of the shooting.
Weintraub said Heller is a hunter and the park allows hunting and recreation at the same time.
“This was a situation where it was the worse confluence of events where two people are in a public park, enjoying a sunset with their whole life in front of them, and you have a third person who is just enjoying a hobby that he loves very much, a hunter, and he makes a tragic error in judgement with the worst possible consequence,” Weintraub said.
When asked if the park rules should be changed, the DA said it’s not for him to decide those rules, but the legislature.
Heller waived his preliminary hearing and is now being held in the Bucks County jail. He is also charged with two counts of violating hunting laws: causing injury to another person and failing to render assistance after a hunting accident.
A formal hearing will be held in April.
Weintraub said the plea deal was made after lengthy consultation with Kutt’s parents.
“My goal here is to come up with a just outcome that accounts for the criminal liability Mr. Heller’s, first of all, to make sure we got the right guy, which we did. And to make sure he’s held criminally accountable for what he’s done. But also to allow the Kutts to move on so that they can celebrate Jason’s life,” he said.